Maple Sugar
by asobi seksu
Summary: It's such a simple thought, but it came to her, finally, when she saw him execute a perfect Tightrope Walking ball. MaruiOC - REUPLOAD - For koori no hime.


a/n: I accidently deleted this (I was being stupid... Sigh), so I added more author notes to make this story a bit more cohesive. So I'm sorry Anna Snowfields! D: You'll just have to send me another review when you have the time.

- In this story, Marui has a girlfriend in the beginning, which would make sense to me since he's such a pretty boy in the anime. :')

- This oneshot represents the story of how I asked out my boyfriend. I knew I liked him, but I didn't have the courage to ask him until my friend told me, "Are you going to just sit there and wait to graduate and wait until he vanishes out of your life?" So I did it, and to my surprise, he actually agreed. We've been together for seven happy months now, even though we're not in high school anymore. xD

- This is for **koori no hime**, who was the 100th non-anon reviewer for my story Last Chance. As her prize, she has kindly requested for me to write her a MaruiOC, and so here is the finished product. I hope you enjoy it.

WARNINGS: over-ambitious, sometimes confusing, weird. :'D

* * *

Maple Sugar

-x-

"Ah, class, this is Shimuzu Yuki. She's new to Rikkaidai High, so please welcome her. Ah - and will you write your name on the board, please?"

The girl took the marker and did as she was told, writing the character for "snow".

"Please introduce yourself."

"I'm from the Akita Prefecture. I used to go to Shinobu High. Pleased to meet you all." She gave the class a bow.

The teacher smiled at the girl. "Well, we're very glad to have you here."

The girl didn't smile back, only just waited for the teacher to speak. The teacher cleared her throat, and then said, "Well, you'll be sitting behind Kuwahara-san. Kuwahara, raise your hand for Shimuzu-san, please."

She saw a dark-skinned boy lift his hand and she automatically headed towards the seat. People whispered to each other, and she had to focus on something else, lest she had a bout of nausea.

_Calm down. They don't even know you._

She made it to her seat without an accident, a fact that relieved her immensely. She hooked her book bag on the side of her desk, took out her notebooks and textbook while the teacher started the lecture.

So far the atmosphere seemed to be okay. No one seemed to pay much attention to her after she took her seat, and some of her anxiety had gone away.

She was just another girl, after all. Weak, unconfident, unremarkable.

-x-

This was the first test: lunch break.

"Hey, you're the new girl, aren't you?"

Yuki looked up to see a smiling girl with brown hair and freckles on her nose.

"You wanna eat lunch with me? I promise I won't bite."

"Ah - um... Sure." Yuki looked at the girl, and she seemed nice enough. She was a bit plain, but Yuki thought it was better that way. She didn't think she would have accepted the invitation if the other girl had been pretty.

"My name is Sonozaki Saori. But mostly I tell people to call me Saori. I'm the class representative, you see."

"I'm Shimuzu Yuki."

"I know. I was listening to your introduction."

The boy that Yuki sat behind got up and seated himself next to Saori. Saori smiled and said, "This is Kuwahara Jackal. He's my next-door neighbor. He might look scary, but he's quite gentle."

Yuki nodded. She opened her bento box and said a quiet, "Itadakimasu" before placing a piece of tofu in her mouth.

It was during this time where Jackal asked her, "Why did you transfer here in your final year of high school?"

Yuki chewed and swallowed her tofu. "My dad had a job transfer. He took the entire family with him."

"Do you miss your old high school?"

"Not really."

Saori chuckled. "I bet if Jackal had to move to the Akita Prefecture he'd disown his family."

"Why?"

"I'm part of the Rikkaidai tennis team," he replied, and Yuki could see that he was proud. "We've won Nationals twice in a row. I have to be there for the third time."

Saori leaned towards Yuki. "So, what's it like in your hometown? Do you go skiing or snow-driving with Akita dogs?"

"My grandparents own a ski resort. Though... I've never owned a sled drive."

"I've been in the city of Akita before," Jackal said. "Marui's aunt owns a _ryokan_ nearby. The hot springs are very nice."

Saori looked like she was going to add more to this until she noticed something peculiar. "Shimuzu-san, why do you carry your shoes with you in your bag? Do you not know where the shoe lockers are?"

"Um - it's fine. It's out of a habit," Yuki said hurriedly, zipping the bag. These people were more perceptive than she thought. She'd have to be more careful in the future.

"Did they not have lockers in your old school?"

Yuki nodded, grateful for the excuse. "Yeah."

-x-

"What kind of club do you want to join, Shimuzu-san?" Jackal offered her a tour of the campus grounds after school, and now they were walking around the tennis courts.

"I don't think I'll join one," she admitted. "I um... I don't think I have the time."

"Do you have cram school?"

"Well, no... " Yuki seemed uncomfortable answering the question, so he dropped it and changed the topic. "There's my tennis team. I asked my captain for some time off during practice, since I'm the class monitor and I have to show new students around."

"I didn't mean to be a burden..."

"It's fine," Jackal assured her. "You're not a burden at all, compared to some of my teammates." He laughed a bit guiltily, and Yuki wondered who those people he was referring to.

She found her answer two seconds later when a boy with a violent shade of hair color called out, "Oi, Jackal! Whatcha doing over there? I can't be without my doubles partner, you know!"

He was dressed in a yellow and black jersey, white shorts, and black wristbands on both arms. Carrying a tennis racket, he leaped over the net and swung open the court door to meet Jackal.

Instinctively, Yuki had the feeling that this person did not simply exude confidence. He _was_ confidence, if his violet-red hair was anything to go by. The way he sauntered over to her and let his eyes wander from Jackal to her - she knew without a doubt he carried himself in a manner that made him popular and well-liked.

She took a step back.

"Hey, who's this? I haven't seen her around here."

"Her name is Shimuzu Yuki. She's new here."

He blew a minty-green bubble. "Nice to meet you. My name's Marui Bunta." He offered his hand. She was a bit wary of him, and so her hand was not as firm as his when they shook hands together.

"Nice to meet you," Yuki said automatically. She could feel her hand shaking. _Coward._

"Right-o," he agreed easily. "Do you like tennis?"

"I've never played before."

"You should. It's the best."

And then, perhaps the most beautiful boy she had ever seen walked up to Marui. His eyes were glittering blue, and his jersey hung off his shoulders.

"Marui," he said sharply. "What are you doing here? You still have a drill to finish."

"Sorry, buchou." Marui ran back to the court.

The mysterious boy turned to Jackal. "How much longer do you have?"

"Ten minutes, probably."

"Make it shorter. I want to see some doubles training today, especially those formations you and Marui practiced."

"Yes, buchou."

He turned back to the court, closing the door as he passed through it. Yuki let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

"Who is that?" she asked Jackal.

"Ah, that's the leader of my team. His name is Yukimura Seiichi. He's a bit intimidating, but he's a nice guy if you're not one of his opponents."

"I see." Yuki made a mental note to be careful of him. "Is he good at tennis?"

Jackal laughed in a way that made her feel a bit idiotic for asking. "You must be really new here. They call him the Child of God, because he's gone undefeated for all of his high school career, including the National tournaments."

"And what about Marui-san?"

"Of course he's good. All the regulars are. Marui is one of the best serve-and-volleyer high school players in the nation."

She didn't know what that meant, but nodded as if she did. "And as for you?"

"I personally hold the best endurance as a defense baseliner. They call me the 'Man With Four Lungs'."

After visiting the softball field, running track, and basketball court, Jackal led her to the school exit.

"I'd love to show you more, but Yukimura would make me run laps if I was late. I'll see you tomorrow."

Yuki said "Thank you very much" and headed home.

-x-

It was much warmer in the Kanagawa Prefecture than back at home. She opened a window to let a fresh breeze in, and she could distinctly make out the scent of sea salt as she stuck her head out.

Her mother had set out for the grocery store, so she decided that she would discover the town on her own. Slipping the house key in her pocket, she thought she would attempt to find her way to the beach. On the way to school she had seen a trail that was sprinkled with sand.

Her sense of direction was excellent; she had a sixth sense for knowing exactly where she was. When she was a kid, her friends never wanted to play hide-and-seek with her because they thought she had an unfair advantage. Years later, she still didn't blame them.

When she reached the sandy beach, she removed her flip flops and carried them in her hand. The coast was mostly empty, save for a lone person in the distance.

It was the first time she had ever seen the ocean. The noise of the seagulls and the soft sand under her toes was a new experience, and Yuki smiled to herself.

_I wonder if it snows here._

In Akita, the snow fell in half-meters, and it had been somewhat of a chore to dig out the snow so she could walk from her house to the sidewalk. The winters were harsh and cold, and the wind felt like invisible knives every time she made the daily commute to school.

The lone person was quickly approaching her, and she heard the sound of pounding feet getting louder with each second. She turned her head to see Marui Bunta dragging a tire on the sand secured by a rope tied around his waist.

Her mouth formed the shape of an 'o' in surprise. He saw her as well, and gradually came to a halt, breathing hard.

"You're the new girl," he panted. "Nice seeing you again."

"Marui-san, what are you doing here?"

"Training," he explained. He fished out a piece of gum and popped it in his mouth.

"Even after practice?"

"I have to build up my stamina," he said. "Maybe I can see you tomorrow - I have lunch with Jackal pretty often. See ya!" He ran off again, and Yuki had to wonder how far a person would go for something as silly as tennis.

Still, she saw him run off into the distance, and watched him until he had become an indistinguishable speck on the horizon.

-x-

Yuki was eating her lunch the next day in the company of Sonozaki and Jackal again when she heard a group of girls talking about something.

"Geesh, that Kasamatsu girl thinks she's better than all of us. What's she playing at, going on a date with Yukimura?"

"She's so ugly. She has a scar on her eyebrow, and she's too self-centered."

"I heard she betrayed her best friend..."

A wave of nausea hit Yuki, and she stood up uneasily, grasping her hands on both ends of her desk. Sonozaki was immediately concerned.

"Are you okay, Shimuzu-san?"

"I have to go to the rooftop," Yuki said, and now one of her hands were clasped around her mouth. "I feel sick."

"Here, take my key," Jackal said urgently, and he passed it to her. She ran out of the classroom, looking for a pair of stairs.

_If I can get on top, it'll be okay._

The door unlocked easily once she climbed all of the stairs, and she stumbled out, coughing. Instantly the fresh air worked wonders for her, and she slowly eased into breathing calmly before making her way to a nearby bench.

She knew that it was irrational to feel sick. Gossiping was a natural part of high school, and she couldn't go on the rooftop anytime she wanted to. But at least it helped.

-x-

"Do you want to go on a group outing?" Sonozaki asked. Yuki looked up, alarmed.

Hesitantly, she asked, "Who all is going?"

"Well, it's me, Jackal-kun, you, and Marui. We're bringing fireworks to the beach at night next week. It'll be a nice way to get to know everyone. Are you interested?"

"I um... " She didn't know the answer to it. Part of her wanted to say yes, but the other part was telling her to flatly refuse.

"Can I give my answer tomorrow? I need to think about it."

"Shimuzu-san, it's okay if you refuse."

_It's okay if you refuse._

Yuki had heard that one so many times before. It was a polite expression to convey one's displeasure. It was rare that anyone truly meant it; and Yuki knew this all too well.

The nausea came building up again, and this time, she panicked. "I - um - I can go! Really."

Saori smiled. "I thought you needed tomorrow to decide?"

Hastily, Yuki flipped through her afternoon planner. "No, it was that I thought I had plans that day, but I don't."

The nausea subsided, and Yuki sighed in relief after Saori had looked away.

-x-

The girl that Saori had invited was an enigma to Marui. She was interestingly pretty, not the way of a movie star, or famous models who had their faces displayed on fashion magazines, but there was something there that he couldn't put his finger on. She had hands that looked soft and fragile like flower petals. Her eyelashes were long and her eyes were wide and open and the color of a misty gray.

She didn't talk much, but he decided to rectify that as soon as possible.

Saori was lighting up a spiral firework. "Look, Jackal!" she cried out, and threw it up in the air before it exploded. Bright spots of colors appeared for a few seconds before they faded away into wisps of smoke. Jackal laughed with her and began to light up a few others.

Now it was just the two of them sitting on a thick blanket on the sand, with nothing else to do but to talk.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked, using the distraction as a bit of privacy between him and Yuki.

"Bullying," she said bluntly.

"That's such a serious subject," Marui said, laughing a little bit. She didn't smile back. "Hey - it doesn't happen here as far as I can tell."

"It happens more often then you think," she said.

He didn't know what to say in response to that. So he shrugged and pulled out a packet of green-apple gum. "You want a piece?"

Her fingers delicately reached out for one. "Thank you, Marui-san."

"Call me Bunta," he said, blowing a lazy bubble out of his mouth. "My friends do."

"Okay... Bunta." She tried it out hesitantly. "Kuwahara-san tells me you're the best serve and volleyer high school player in Japan."

He puffed out his chest in pride. "Damn straight I am. I wouldn't trade it to be a counter or an all-rounder for the world."

"What's a counter?"

His eyes widened, and Yuki noticed that they were a striking shade of violet. "You seriously don't know?"

She shook her head.

Consequently, Yuki was treated to an hour-long treatise on the rules, groundwork, and intimate details of tennis before she was able to light up a firework on her own. She nodded politely to all of his rants and elaboration, and finally, finally she understood at least a little bit of why tennis meant so much to Marui Bunta.

Saori began to notice that Yuki was the first person with the patience to listen to everything that Marui said. She pointed this out to Jackal and the two of them shared a grin together.

-x-

"She's not aloof, she's actually _shy_," Marui explained to Jackal the next day while he was changing from his uniform into his tennis outfit. "Although I don't understand why. She should have more confidence in herself."

"Perhaps there is a possibility that she is an _Akita bijin_," Yanagi observed. "Ono no Komachi was a famous poet who came from that region, you know. She was equally as famous for her beauty."

"Renji, you're so old-fashioned," Yukimura said, looking interested in the personal business of his teammates (as usual). "I don't think they exist anymore."

"And anyways, not everyone can be a show-off like you, stupid genius," Niou said, and Marui followed him out of the locker room, slinging insults. Jackal smiled to himself.

-x-

Yuki had never seen a tennis match except for on TV, and so she wrote it down in her notebook: _My first tennis match as a spectator._

Biting on her pencil, she decided to add one detail. _Bunta and Jackal are playing a doubles match together._

They had been exceptionally kind to her, and so far she thought what she saw of them was genuine. They weren't nice to her because she was a new person; they treated everybody else the same.

The match was spectacular, with Saori next to her to provide an amusing commentary. It ranged from "Oh look, that's his fifth stick of gum. Is he ever going to stop chewing?" to "Jackal's bald head just gets shinier the more he sweats". Thoroughly entertained, Yuki actually stood up to clap and cheer along with the rest of Rikkaidai's supporters, who turned up in hordes.

The sun was getting hot, though. When she was beginning to imagine eating an ice cream cone, that was when she decided that she had to get something to drink before she fainted. When Rikkaidai had won all three matches in the preliminaries, she took a break.

The crowd was keyed up, and there was a long line in front of the vending machines. Yuki took her place, and waited patiently.

Unfortunately, not everyone was the same. A fight had broken out between two high school students and another kid who looked like he came from a middle school.

"Hey, you just broke my sunglasses! Do you know how much these cost, ya little punk?"

"I - I... " The middle school kid looked helpless.

"They were designer brand! You owe me at least 50,000 yen."

"I don't h-have the m-money - "

"Then kneel down and lick my shoe!"

Those high school students were big and brawny, which explained why no one wanted to get involved. Still, Yuki could feel the nausea coming up, threatening to upset her stomach if she didn't do anything about it.

And oh god, that poor little kid. He looked petrified.

_Should I get involved?_ Yuki wondered, clutching her stomach as she tried to focus on not throwing up. _After all I've been through..._

"Looks like this is a job for Marui Bunta, genius superhero," someone commented behind her. Yuki turned around and to her utter, complete relief Marui was there, along with Yukimura and a few other regulars.

The mysterious blue haired boy she had met only a few weeks ago was there as well. "Strength comes from integrity," he said quietly, and he followed Marui as the redhead barked, "Hey! What's your problem, man? Picking on the weak is lame."

The high schooler sneered at him. "Oh yeah? And what are you going to do about that, pretty boy?"

The regulars stepped out next to Marui. Wearing their Rikkaidai jerseys, it would have taken a person of absolute stupidity to not be intimidated by any of them.

Surprisingly, it was Yukimura who spoke next. "It's Kikuichi-san, isn't it? I remember our last match." His voice was soft, but his eyes were deadly and spoke of unspeakable danger if another line was crossed.

The high schooler took a step back. "Shit. Well that doesn't matter, but - "

"Get out," Sanada commanded. "You have no business conducting your misfortunes here!"

"Fine, but we'll remember this!" the high schoolers said, taking another step back before running away.

Marui was satisfied with the turn of events, and turned to Yuki before he realized she wasn't there.

"Huh? Where did she go?"

"I believe she was running in the opposite direction," Yukimura said, smiling a little bit. "It was over there, I think."

"Geesh. I wanted to talk to her!" Making a decision, he pressed a few coins into Yukimura's hand. "Buchou, will you please buy me and her two bottles of water? I have to go find her. I think she was scared by the high schoolers."

"Of course," Yukimura said serenely.

"Tarundoru," Sanada muttered to himself. "How could he not have noticed that?"

-x-

"Yuki!" Marui called out, sharp eyes looking all around the place, but to no avail. "Where are you?"

Maybe she likes quiet places, he reasoned out, and he was immediately proud of himself for arriving at this conclusion. He found her retching in the bushes a few minutes later.

"Um - you okay?"

Her hand was clamped over her mouth, but her body seemed to convulse violently. He looked at her for a while and then told her, "I'll be back. You need help."

Yuki shook her head. Marui sighed, wondering what he should do.

He extended his arm to her back, and slowly began to rub up and down. Gradually, she began to breathe and relax.

"I'm going to get a bottle of water. You stay over here, okay?"

Yuki nodded.

_I bet he's disgusted by me_, she thought to herself, already becoming melancholy. _I wouldn't blame him if he was._

"Here," Marui said when he returned. "Wash your hands," he told her and he tipped the water bottle so that it would pour directly into her hands. Yuki did so quickly and wiped her mouth.

After drying her hands on her clothes, he handed her the bottle. She took a small mouthful to clear out the bile in her throat.

"Aren't you grossed out?" she asked him hesitantly.

"No, are you kidding?" He laughed. "I used to overdose on cakes all the time before a match, and Jackal had to take care of me puking my guts out after the sugar high ran off. I don't know what I would have done without him."

Marui stretched his arms, and yawned. "Nah, you're fine. It's actually kind of nice to take care of a person once in a while." He rummaged in his pockets and pulled out a packet of gum. "Want a piece?"

"Thanks, Bunta."

They walked in a comfortable silence before he asked her, "So do you like, get sick when you see other people beaten up or... ?"

She stiffened at the mention of her nausea.

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it," Marui said quickly. "I was only curious."

So they walked in silence, Yuki quiet as usual, while Marui switched the conversation to something else, like - "Did you see how cool my Tightrope Walking was? It took me ages to perfect that, but once it did, Yukimura just put me on the team, no questions asked..."

-x-

Now here came the second test: physical examinations.

Yuki never really liked them in the first place; it was like she was a bug under a microscope. Even though it was quick and probably meaningless, she still didn't like the feeling that she was being examined.

The worst part was that her arms were exposed under the bright, flourescent lights. She tried to casually obscure them by folding them across her chest, but that made her look as if she had something to hide.

"Come on, Shimuzu, hop up." The nurse was waiting with her clipboard and pencil, and Yuki swallowed. Hesitantly, she stepped on top of the scale.

"Fifty kilograms, huh? That's a bit light for your height. Are you eating properly?"

She nodded.

"Alrightie then. I'll just take your measurements, and then we'll be done. Lift your arms."

Yuki did so, folding them behind her head so that no one could see the underside of her forearms. The nurse took a tape measure, quickly circling the ribbon around her waist, and after that it wrapped around her chest.

"And that'll be all." The nurse smiled, writing down a few numbers on Yuki's evaluation sheet. "You can get changed now."

So far, it had been the least intrusive examination she'd ever taken, and she stepped off the scale with a curious sense of relief. The white T-shirt she was wearing and the tight bloomers that came along with it made her feel completely exposed. If she had been outside, it would have been fine; but under the lights she felt like everything was magnified, drawing attention to places she didn't want to be noticed.

In the changing room, she picked an unobtrusive corner to take off her P.E. uniform. She zipped up her skirt first, and then slipped on her blouse. She hadn't reached the second button from the bottom before someone grabbed her wrist unawares.

"Oi, Yuki, what are these?" Saori asked, lifting Yuki's wrist to eye level. Her voice was loud, and carried well into the room where other girls were still talking.

Saori's other friend gasped. "They look like cigarette burns!"

There were brown and pockmarked circles that dotted all the way from her wrist to her elbow; ugly, grotesque, and just awful in a way that stunned you into disbelief.

Yuki pulled her arm away, jerking Saori off course. She pushed her sleeve down.

"Hey, did you come from a gang? Man, you're so hard core - "

"Just leave me alone," Yuki said forcefully, with the slightest touch of hysteria in her voice. Gripping two halves of her blouse together, she stormed out of the room, intent on escaping before the entire school discovered her secret.

Weak, she told herself. She was weak and pathetic for hiding it away.

-x-

"And I'm telling you Jackal, this grip tape is like, the best I've ever tried - "

"You keep saying that about every grip tape you've tried."

"I'm serious! And uh - woah, Yuki!"

Violet eyes met gray ones and Marui stopped his conversation to look at the cashier. "I didn't know you worked here!"

"It's my first week," she said with a smile. "My uncle actually owns this place, and he was looking for another worker, so you know..." She timidly scratched the back of her head. "Do you want to order anything?"

"Hmm... I guess I'll take that slice of strawberry cake. What about you, Jackal?"

Jackal sighed, as if he was a long-sufferer of this. "Bunta, you're not going to pay for it anyway..."

"That's right! And anyways, good friends should help out one another."

"You and Akaya are going to be the death of me, you hear?" The Brazilian took out his wallet and grudgingly passed a bill to Yuki. "You guys should learn how to pay for yourself by now..."

She pushed it back. "It's fine. I'll pay for both of you."

"Seriously?" Now Marui was getting excited. "Wow, you're the best!"

Jackal tried to back away. "It's fine, I can pay for both of us. (I've been doing it for most of my life, anyway...) "

"No, I insist," Yuki said, and now she reached in her pockets to pull out a thousand-yen bill. "Pick whatever you like."

Eventually, she convinced Jackal to pick out a mocha-caramel parfait, and allowed Marui extra helpings of his favorite strawberry cake. They had been the only customers all afternoon, and so she was content to watch the two of them bicker and banter together while the sun slowly set down on the horizon.

-x-

Marui was popular with girls, and this was a fact that Yuki had known from the start. Who could blame them? He was funny, maybe a little conceited sometimes, but he was innately kind and understood people on a level that always surprised her. He was athletic and cute and charming, and while he wasn't as beautiful as the others (Yukimura came to mind), Yuki still liked him very much.

He had broken up with his latest girlfriend when he came into the cafe the next time he saw Yuki, but she hadn't known anything about it until he showed up with stormy eyes and frustration that made the corners of his mouth slant at a bitter angle.

She knew something was wrong. Still, she bravely asked him, "Would you like to order anything?"

"Three large strawberry cakes, please." He didn't look at Yuki, and she bit her lip, punching in the numbers on the register machine.

"That'll be 3184 yen."

Silently, he handed her the bills and she gave him back the change. Uneasily, she reached behind the glass counter and boxed one of the cakes, before he sat on one of the counter stools.

Yuki pushed the box towards him, and then took a mug out of the shelf. With a quick push of a button, hot coffee and steam came out of a spigot, filling the cup with the murky liquid.

"Here. Drink up."

He looked up at her with surprise, and she explained, "It'll give you strength."

Marui took a sip. "It's... good. Thank you."

Yuki bended over, carefully balancing another frosted cake with her hands and placing it into another box. When she set it next to Marui, he finally said, "I don't understand girls at all."

Yuki was busy with the ribbon on the box, and so she said the first thing that came to mind. "Neither do I."

He smiled, but there wasn't any humor in it.

"She told me that I was too childish, and that she preferred more mature men." Marui looked upset at this. "I mean, I didn't know anything about it. How was I supposed to know?"

"I don't think you're childish at all," Yuki said truthfully.

"Really?"

"Really," she confirmed. "I think you're very nice."

"Thanks, Yuki, but - " and here he gave a shrug. " - you seem like nothing ever affects you. It's like you're in your own world all the time."

"That's not true," she said, and she turned away. "I'm... afraid of joining conversations."

"Not with me, am I right?"

"That's different."

"How is it different?"

"I don't know."

Marui sighed. "Whatever." He tore open a sugar packet, dumped it into his coffee, and then reached for another packet.

"You're going to get diabetes, drinking that much sugar," Yuki said, as she boxed the third and final cake.

"I don't care," he said, stirring his drink with a spoon. "I'm sad, and depressed - and - "

His voice broke.

"Goddamn it all to hell," he muttered, placing his hands over his eyes.

Yuki crossed the counter and sat next to him, hesitantly placing an arm on his back. Moving it up, and then down, she continued the motion until he finally broke down in sobs.

"Shh, it's okay," she whispered. "It's going to be okay, Bunta."

-x-

Yuki didn't get much of an opportunity to talk to him afterwards, but the worry still persisted in her mind throughout the week that followed. At lunch, Jackal brought up the topic to Saori.

"He didn't even want to go to the arcade last Sunday. I don't know what's wrong with him..."

"Did you try asking him what's wrong?"

"Yanagi knows something, but he won't tell me what. I just wish I could help Bunta snap out of this funk. The Kantou Tournament is only a few days away, you know..."

Yuki waited for the school day to be over, but time went as slow as honey. When the bell finally rang, she ran as fast as she could to the cafe around the street, donning her apron and waiting to see if Marui would be there, but to no avail.

"Yuki, go home already," her uncle said. It was ten at night. Things had to be put away and the kitchen had to be restocked for tomorrow. "It's the end of your shift."

"That's fine," she said, lifting up a bag of flour and sugar. "I can help."

At the end of cleanup, it was twelve and she was exhausted. Marui had not come that day.

-x-

She finally saw him at the Kantou Tournament, where he was chewing on his green-apple gum as usual, and stretching his limbs before starting his match.

It's such a simple thought, but it came to her, finally, when she saw him execute a perfect Tightrope Walking ball.

_I like him_, Yuki realized.

That confidence, and that sugar tooth of his. The way he smiled, the way he called himself a genius, the way he walked and talked. His beautiful hair, and his beautiful eyes. The way he would talk about tennis and the way he played on court, bolstered by the cheers of his audience. The way he had accepted her sickness, as if it was normal.

She had never felt that way towards anybody else before. Embarrassed, she resolved to herself never to tell him.

He wouldn't be interested, anyway.

-x-

The entire school congratulated the team in various ways. The principal allocated more money for funding the resources of the tennis team. Teachers openly praised the regulars on their court performance, and girls were emboldened to confess their affections for team members.

Even Jackal had received a confession, and he seemed rather pleased by it. Saori was not.

"Just because they're good at tennis - " she muttered, before she saw Yuki looking at her with curiousity. "What are you looking at?" she snapped.

"Nothing," Yuki said, but when Saori's back was turned, she smiled.

Maybe she wasn't as alone as she thought, liking someone who was out of her league.

-x-

In the meantime, she started to make friends with her co-workers. With the bit of money she saved, she treated herself to a haircut, and her long hair was trimmed down to a more manageable length.

The next time Marui visited, she had been wearing her hair up in a ponytail, something she hadn't done since elementary school.

"You kinda look different," he said as he stood next to Jackal and another boy in line.

Yuki reached under the glass counter for his customary slice of strawberry cake. "Is that a good thing?" she asked him cautiously.

"Yeah! It looks pretty, whatever you just did."

"..."

"Was I wrong?" he wondered aloud.

"How is tennis practice going?" she asked him hurriedly, turning away to cover her blush than anything else. So he _had_ noticed. The butterflies in her stomach flapped harder.

"Oh, it's going pretty hardcore. But we're going to win Nationals, you know. Me being a genius, and all."

"I'm sure you will," Yuki said, and then told him, "That'll be - "

"Four hundred yen. I know," Marui said, and to Jackal's disbelief Marui passed her a bill.

"You're paying, Marui-senpai?" A seaweed-head boy asked, and Yuki's attention was directed to him for the first time. _Kirihara_, she thought to himself. _His name is Kirihara._

"Not for you, dummy," Marui said. "But I figure that someone who's helped me get out of my funk deserves my hard-earned money."

His eyes were so warm and beautiful that Yuki nearly forgot to breathe. It was difficult for her clumsy fingers to give him the correct change back.

-x-

When the team finally competed at Nationals, Yuki didn't go. She had a job to do, but she insisted on leaving the radio near the counter to hear the scores of each match.

Anxiously, she swept the broom across the floor. Her co-workers were bemused at her strange behavior, but she didn't care. They didn't matter.

No, what really mattered was Marui. And if his team ended up winning...

_Maybe then I'll tell him how I feel_, she thought.

And if they didn't win, then she wouldn't. It was simple as that. It left things up to chance. The decision wouldn't be decided by her.

Which was why, when the radio commenter announced, "The winner is Rikkaidai High!" she simultaneously thought "Thank God" and "My life is ruined" at the same time.

She did quietly celebrate, though. She bought herself a small slice of strawberry cake. The fruit was sweet and tangy and all that was in the name of good.

-x-

Third test: Revealing the ugliest parts of her to a person she cared for.

"Bunta? I have something to tell you."

"Okay," he said easily.

The Rikkaidai tennis team had invited their friends and parents and a few classmates all over for a celebratory yakiniku dinner, and Marui had personally asked Yuki first. She thought it was a good omen, but then she found out he had invited Saori, too.

But it didn't matter. It was hopeless, and stupid, but he deserved to know.

There was a quiet room on the second floor of the restaurant, a secluded place where they could talk in private.

"Well?" He cocked his head, and her heart jumped at that motion. It was so like Marui.

"I wanted to show you this," Yuki said, and she slowly unbuttoned her wrist collar. She pulled her sleeve up, revealing the many scars and ugly pockmarks that dotted from her wrist to her elbow.

Marui's eyes were horrified. "Yuki, who did this to you? I swear, I'll beat them up for you - "

"It's fine," she said, although her gray eyes were sad. "I used to be bullied in my old high school."

"That's terrible," he said flatly. "They ought to be decapitated."

"Do you remember when you asked me if I got sick whenever I saw someone beaten up?"

He nodded.

"Well... it came from me being treated that way. Whenever someone talked badly of someone else, or pressured someone else into doing something they didn't want to do, I would feel nauseous because I knew something was bad was going to happen..."

"And, so they did this to you?" he asked.

Yuki nodded.

"But then I transferred here... and everyone was so kind to me. I couldn't believe it at first," she said. "Especially you."

The next sentence was the most important in the whole conversation. "You, out of everybody here, has helped me regain my confidence in the world."

The sentence after that isn't as important, but Yuki pushed on anyway. She had always been a fighter - she just never realized it.

"That being said, will you go out with me, Bunta?"

-x-

(He smiles and says yes, simply because he sees the fire in her eyes, and he likes that. She's not quiet or afraid anymore, she is brave, and strong, and ready to take on the world.

Marui Bunta grasps Shimuzu Yuki's hand and tells her, "We'd better go, or they'll be wondering where we are."

She laughs, and it is lovely.)

-x-

* * *

a/n:

- I like this oneshot but I also don't really like it at the same time. :S I feel that Marui would be a person to inspire confidence in other people, but I'm not sure if I conveyed it well or not...

- Dedicated to **fyerigurl**, whose invaluable advice made this turn from terribad to semi-bad.

- As always, reviews would be much appreciated! :)

P. S. (It's unlikely for me to work on fanfiction any more after this... hahaha... I'm getting burnt out)


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